Comments on: The coming urban terror http://polizeros.com/2007/08/16/the-coming-urban-terror/ Musings on politics: anti-war, global warming, peak oil and otherwise Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:06:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: DJ http://polizeros.com/2007/08/16/the-coming-urban-terror/#comment-140134 DJ Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:07:17 +0000 http://polizeros.com/2007/08/16/the-coming-urban-terror/#comment-140134 We live in a time with two opposing trends: first, as you note here, our systems are very tightly coupled, and second, the state is, from its own actions, becoming both less effective and less relavent. It is entirely possible that a systems meltdown could occur as a result of a simple glitch in one system, without any effort from a terrorist. (Al-Queda had nothing to do with the sub-prime debacle.) In the absence of competent leadership, an absence that appears will be with us for some time to come barring a miracle in the next election, society is likely to become increasingly vulnerable to this dependence/unreliability paradox. As to decentralizing our systems, the state will oppose it because it makes the state even more irrelavent than it already is. But we can strengthn our communities to make them more resilient, and prepare our families to ensure confortable survival. This is an effort that must be done at the household and small group level, because our leaders will be of little help if any. I wonder, as we quote John Robb on this subject, what anyone is actually doing toward preparedness? Our household is working toward food and energy self-reliance while storing several months of necessities-- including food for ourselves and our animals and, yes, ammo. It's the sort of preparation you hope you'll never need, yet, like life insurance, can we afford to be without it? We live in a time with two opposing trends: first, as you note here, our systems are very tightly coupled, and second, the state is, from its own actions, becoming both less effective and less relavent. It is entirely possible that a systems meltdown could occur as a result of a simple glitch in one system, without any effort from a terrorist. (Al-Queda had nothing to do with the sub-prime debacle.) In the absence of competent leadership, an absence that appears will be with us for some time to come barring a miracle in the next election, society is likely to become increasingly vulnerable to this dependence/unreliability paradox.

As to decentralizing our systems, the state will oppose it because it makes the state even more irrelavent than it already is. But we can strengthn our communities to make them more resilient, and prepare our families to ensure confortable survival. This is an effort that must be done at the household and small group level, because our leaders will be of little help if any.

I wonder, as we quote John Robb on this subject, what anyone is actually doing toward preparedness? Our household is working toward food and energy self-reliance while storing several months of necessities– including food for ourselves and our animals and, yes, ammo. It’s the sort of preparation you hope you’ll never need, yet, like life insurance, can we afford to be without it?

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